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Measles and Whooping Cough.
The two-year cycle of Measles was again apparent, 2,985 cases occurring in
the Borough during the year, compared with 54 in the previous year and 1,051 in
1953.
Half of the total cases were in the age group 5-9 years. It was necessary for
108 of the patients to be admitted to hospital because of complications or due to
inadequate home nursing. The percentage of patients admitted to hospital was,
however, only 3 per cent. of the total cases notified, compared with 45 per cent, in
the year previous.
Diphtheria.
Once again the Borough was entirely free from diphtheria, none of the six
notified cases being confirmed. The revised diagnoses was Tonsilitis (3), Pneumonia
(2) and Glandular Fever.
Poliomyelitis.
The epidemic of poliomyelitis in the late autumn and early winter ended just
before Christmas. The cases were predominantly from the Plumstead area, although
there was some move towards Woolwich as the epidemic progressed. Eltham
remained relatively unaffected apart from a slight increase at the end.
There was a total of 202 cases notified during September to December, inclusive.
Of these a total of 127 were confirmed as poliomyelitis ; 63 paralytic and
64 non-paralytic, the biggest yearly total in the history of the Borough. The age
group 5 to 9 years contained the most cases, namely, 68. The next group was 1 to
4 years with 35 cases.
Alt-hough for a number of years polioyelitis has belied its old name of infantile
paralysis, in previous years there has been a rather greater incidence in adolescents
and adults than in this epidemic. Previously more than one case in one family was
rare, but a recent trend for such eases to occur has been well illustrated in Woolwich.
There were eight families with two cases each. In no instance was there more than
two cases in one family. In respect of the County Council Rest Centre, Plumstead
High Street, there were six eases occurring during November.
Altogether 185 patients were dealt with at the Brook Hospital. During this
outbreak there were four deaths from the bulbas form of the disease, but fortunately
only 54 of the other paralytic cases were paralysed to any considerable degree; the
remainder either recovering fully or having very little remaining paralysis as not to
interfere to any material extent with ordinary life. The 64 non-paralytic cases, of
course, fully recovered.
While poliomyelitis must be regarded as a serious disease and tragedies must
occur, the above figures again show that the final outcome is by no means invariably
gloomy. Of the total of 127 confirmed cases in the recent epidemic, 92, or 73 per
cent. have made full recovery so far as the normal activities of life are concerned.
Tuberculosis.
The number of primary notifications of tuberculosis (154) was a decrease of
46 on the previous year's total.
There were 23 deaths in the Borough attributed to tuberculosis against 21 the
previous vear.